Many casino games include players playing against the house to obtain a player hand having a value closer to a target value than the house hand is. For example, Blackjack, Spanish Twenty-One®, and the like all-fit this pattern.
Blackjack is a well known card game played in casinos. The object of the game is to have a final hand sum closer to twenty-one than the dealer's final hand sum is to twenty-one without exceeding twenty-one. For purposes of calculating a hand total, each card has a value equal to its face value except face cards, which have a value of ten, and Aces, which may have a value of eleven or one as the player selects.
The form of Blackjack played in casinos is house banked. This means that the house is represented by a dealer who deals cards, pays winning player wagers, and collects losing player wagers. Similarly, in a Blackjack game machine, the machine controls a house hand and handles collection and payment of wagers, while a player controls the player hand.
In a typical Blackjack game, each player makes a wager. The dealer, whether live or represented by a game machine, deals two cards to each player and two cards, one card face up and the other face down, to the dealer. Any player receiving a natural twenty-one or Blackjack, i.e. a total of twenty-one in the initial dealt hand, is immediately rewarded, typically at a rate of 2:1 or 3:2, and play is terminated as to that player. Each remaining player examines the player's hand and forms a final player hand. In forming the final player hand, the player may hit, i.e. receive another card, or stand, i.e. stop receiving additional cards and make final the current hand. A player may hit as many times as the player wishes as long as the player does not bust, i.e. have a cumulative total greater than twenty-one. When a player busts, the player's wager is immediately collected and play is terminated as to that player.
A player may also have additional options available depending on the initial hand dealt. If the player receives a pair, i.e. two cards having the same face value, the player may split the pair and use each card as a basis for a separate hand. For example, if a player were to be dealt a pair of eights, the player may choose to split the pair and continue play with two hands each having an eight and an additional dealt card. Each of those individual hands is then played independently.
A player may also have the option to double down. The availability of the double down option will vary from casino to casino. However, in all cases, the option allows a player to double the player's wager in exchange for a single additional card. For example, if a player has a initial hand total of eleven, the player may wish to double down, betting that the single additional card dealt is a ten. However, because of the nature of the double down wager, even if the next card is a three, for example, the player cannot receive any additional cards.
After all the players have played their hands, the dealer reveals the face-down card in the dealer's hand. The dealer plays the dealer's hand according to established house rules. That is, the house uses established “house rules” to eliminate the dealer's discretion, so that the dealer hits or stands as the house rules dictate. The dealer then resolves the wagers. In resolving the wagers, players with a final hand total closer to twenty-one than the dealer's final hand total are rewarded at even money. Conversely, wagers are collected from players with a final hand total further from twenty-one than the dealer's final hand total. If the dealer busts, all players who did not bust or receive a Blackjack are rewarded. If the player and dealer push, i.e. have the same final hand total, the player's wager is returned.
Blackjack is a well established and, to some, routine game. It is known that players are drawn to new features on conventional games, especially when those features can lead to higher or more frequent pay outs. One method for a player to increase the excitement and potential win for the player is to offer the player an option to make an additional wager.
For example, Griffiths, U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,579, is directed to a game in which a side wager is placed on a dealer Blackjack or bust, i.e. a draw to a total greater than twenty-one, on three or more playing cards. The drawback of the side wager of Griffiths is that there is no provision for the player to be paid more than even money. That is, differentiation in the payouts for different outcomes even though certain outcomes would be less likely to occur than others.